secretive

adjective se·cre·tive \ˈsē-krə-tiv, si-ˈkrē-\

: not letting people see or know what you are doing or thinking : tending to act in secret

Full Definition of SECRETIVE

: disposed to secrecy : not open or outgoing in speech, activity, or purposes

— se·cre·tive·ly adverb

— se·cre·tive·ness noun

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Origin of SECRETIVE

back-formation from secretiveness, part translation of French secrétivité

First Known Use: 1835

Related to SECRETIVE

Synonyms: close, closemouthed, dark, reticent, tight-mouthed, uncommunicative

Antonyms: communicative, open

Synonym Discussion of SECRETIVE

silent, taciturn, reticent, reserved, secretive mean showing restraint in speaking. silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed <the strong, silent type>. taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability <taciturn villagers>. reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one's own affairs <was reticent about his plans>. reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange <greetings were brief, formal, and reserved>. secretive, too, implies reticence but usually carries a suggestion of deviousness and lack of frankness or of an often ostentatious will to conceal <the secretive research and development division>.